


Lily of the Valley

by sparklyfaerie



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Abby and Seb are pottymouths, F/M, Panic Attacks, Robin is best Mom, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety, Swearing, lots and lots of instant messaging because seb is a dork who does better behind a screen, no beta we die like men, poor Seb has severe social anxiety idek guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:00:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24555046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparklyfaerie/pseuds/sparklyfaerie
Summary: Moving to Pelican Farm is proving to be one of the best decisions Lily has ever made. While she gets off to a rocky start with some of the residents, she quickly finds herself adopted by Abigail, who introduces her to the lively Sam and quiet Sebastian. It's a chance to follow her dreams, and to make a new life for herself along the way.Sebastian, on the other hand, is simply trying not to implode every time he speaks to her. He fails spectacularly.
Relationships: Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is my first SDV fic, but oh my god I started playing this game like a month ago and I've already sold my soul to poor Sebby. The boy deserves all the love.

Pelican Farm was depressing.

Those were Lily’s first thoughts upon beholding the property that she’d inherited from her grandfather. With the mayor on one side and the carpenter—Robin?—on the other, she surveyed the dilapidated cottage that her grandfather had lived in his whole life.

“Rustic? More like crusty.” Robin snorted from her left. Lily sighed as the mayor reprimanded her. It wasn’t like she was wrong. The porch had a hole big enough for Lily’s entire leg to sink through, and one of the window frames was crooked. There were shingles missing from the roof, and she wondered belatedly if it even had running electricity or water. The utility company had assured her that all the requisite connections had been made, but looking at the place, she doubted it was even capable of containing a light bulb without bursting into flames.

“Don’t you mind Robin.” Mayor Lewis clapped a hand on her shoulder. “She’s just trying to sell you her services.”

Robin huffed.

Lily forced a laugh. “I doubt I could afford her anyway.” She said, painting a fake smile on her face. “It’ll be a while before I’m in any sort of stable financial shape.”

Lewis patted her shoulder again. “Well, don’t you hesitate to ask people about town if you need a hand. Most in the village are friendly folk.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

There was an awkward silence before Robin broke it. “Well, I should get back to the shop. It was a pleasure to meet you, Lily.”

“And you.” Lily offered. “Do you live far?”

“Oh, no.” Robin waved her hand up toward the north entrance of the farm. “There’s a shortcut to my shop through there. Straight up the path cut through the trees. Come up if you need anything; we live in the back.”

“Thank you.” Lily nodded. “I’ll be sure to stop by when I have the money to pay you for some kind of work.”

Robin waved her off. “You can just come up to say hello. In fact, why don’t you come up for dinner tomorrow? I have two kids around your age, you know. They could both do with a reason to get their noses out of their work.”

“That sounds… nice.” She nodded jerkily.

“Wonderful. Come up at about six.”

Lily had just opened her mouth to continue the slightly awkward, stilted conversation, when Lewis cleared his throat. “Thank you, Robin. We won’t keep you any longer.”

Aware that she was being dismissed, Robin held out her hand for Lily to shake. “Welcome to the Valley, dear.”

Lily took it, shaking firmly. “Thank you.”

* * *

She spent her first night sitting on the porch of her new, dilapidated cottage, sipping a mug of tea to ward off the early spring chill. It was so quiet, after her time in the city. Breathing in the crisp air, she allowed herself a smile; if she closed her eyes and ignored the disastrous state of the fields, she could almost imagine she was back on the farm in which she grew up, waiting for her father to come trudging back up the gravel path after putting the livestock away for the evening. The silence and clear air of the country was welcome after several years of living in cramped living quarters with three other people high above a major road.

She heard the sound of a motorbike in the distance, marvelling at how loud it seemed in the night. She supposed the area didn’t have a lot of cars. Lewis _had_ mentioned that a freight truck came every few days to deliver goods to the general store, and another for the local Joja Mart; when she began producing a yield from the farm, the truck that serviced Pierre’s General Store would take her goods to the market for sale on its return trip. There was a truck that came to collect trash on Thursdays, but otherwise, he’d said, they didn’t see much in the way of traffic. There weren’t even any real roads in town, besides the one the bus stop was on; the main streets were lined with cobblestone, the rest were just dirt tracks worn into the ground from generations of the locals making their own shortcuts.

She hadn’t really seen the town yet, but her father had reminisced to her about the quaint little village nestled against the beach in the heart of the valley when he’d talk about his first wife. It was in this place that he’d met her mother, the daughter of the local farmer, and discovered his passion for working the land as the old man’s farmhand. What was intended to be a summer job had ended up as a lifestyle; he’d married Lily’s mother and purchased a little plot on the other side of the region, and Lily had spent many happy childhood years there before they were forced to sell the land and move to the city.

But the reality of her current situation wasn’t far from her mind. The fields were so overgrown with weeds and grass that she hardly knew where to start. She’d bought an old, rusty set of farming tools from a charity store on the way over, and had plans to start clearing and turning over the soil in the morning. Lewis had given her a small bag of seed packets, so she supposed she’d sort and plant them afterward. After that, maybe she would head into town and get her bearings before venturing up to Robin’s.

The thought of meeting the locals was a bit scary. The way her father told it, the community was tight-knit back in his day, and there was no reason to assume that had changed. She never had been very good at putting herself out there, preferring to keep to herself unless required for something. That wasn’t to say she was shy, exactly, but people drained her. The prospect of meeting an entire town, even one with a population of less than fifty people, was daunting. But there were a few people she had to at least become acquainted with; the owner of the general store, which apparently also served as the place that people did their banking and as a post office, sprang to mind immediately.

She also needed to meet the local doctor. She’d promised her sister that she would register as a patient at the clinic as soon as she got a spare moment and list her emergency contact information just in case. She fervently hoped she wouldn’t need to bother her with some kind of medical emergency any time soon—or _ever_. But she would humour her nonetheless.

She yawned. She would do it all tomorrow.

* * *

Ordinarily, Sebastian wouldn’t dream of bothering one of his friends at work.

But since Abby worked for her father, and had told them both to come down today, he figured he could get away with it. He could _feel_ Pierre’s eyes on him, as if that one incident with the shoplifting had been yesterday rather than ten years ago. It irritated him. He _hated_ being watched.

“Mayor Lewis said she was old man Eddie’s granddaughter.” Abby was saying around a mouthful of gum as she sorted packets on the shelves, pretending to look busy. “Apparently she moved down from Zuzu City.”

“How do you even know so much?” Sebastian rolled his eyes, leaning against one of the produce bins with his hands in his hoodie pocket. “Your mom isn’t even the one that met her.”

“ _My_ mom said that she was really pretty.” Sam piped up. “Apparently she saw her not long ago on her way into town and she headed straight for the clinic. Wonder if she’s sick. Sometimes people move out to the country if there’s something wrong with them.”

“Then why would she be working on a _farm_?” Abby rolled her eyes, blowing and popping a bubble.

“Oh, yeah.” Sam looked sheepish.

“She was probably just meeting Doc Harvey.” Abby shrugged. “That’s what I’d do, anyway. Just in case she got hurt or something.”

“So, man, you’re gonna tell us about her after dinner tonight, right?” Sam asked Sebastian, who shrugged noncommittally. In all honesty, Sebastian was hoping to get out of dinner that night, and said as much. “What? Come on, man, you gotta!”

“Or you could just wait and meet her yourself.” Sebastian groused, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his email for a response from his client. “You’re bound to run into her eventually in a town this small. Look, if you two only wanted me to come to gossip, I’m gonna go. I got work to do.”

“But—”

“Guys, shut up.” Abby hissed. “ _She’s here_.”

Despite himself, he followed Abby’s line of sight to the girl that had just walked in the front door.

She was _tiny_. That was his first impression. From a distance, he judged her to be about a head shorter than himself based on the height of the shelves. Her hair was inky black, and impractically long for farm work, he thought, though it was tied back into a thick, shiny braid. She smiled nervously at Pierre, who had abandoned his post at the till to greet her, and was immediately steered back toward the gardening supplies and out of view. He caught a flash of pale skin and nervous blue eyes before she was out of sight.

Sam whistled low. “Not bad.”

“She’s really pretty.” Abby agreed in a hushed whisper. “Seems a bit young, though.”

Sebastian snorted. She looked about Maru’s age, he decided, and then put her out of his mind. “Seriously, I have to go. My client just got back to me.”

“Fine.” Abby whined. “But you owe us drinks on Friday for bailing.”

“Sure, whatever.” He agreed, shoving his phone away and waving over his shoulder as he turned and left the building. “Don’t get caught stalking the new girl.”

Honestly, he didn’t get the big deal. Sure, people didn’t move into Pelican Town all that often, but it wasn’t like it was anything to get worked up over. It was just one more face to add to the sea of monotony. And she lived out of the town proper, so it wasn’t like they were going to see her unless something brought her into the village. That went doubly for him, since his family also lived out of the way. He doubted he’d see her again any time soon after dinner that night unless she needed his Mom for something.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily comes to dinner. It doesn't go well.

Lily stood in front of the carpenter’s shop nervously, fidgeting in her nicest dress and prettiest shoes. She clutched the hem of her light jacket with both hands, debating just leaving and making up some excuse the next time she saw Robin.

Before she was able to make up her mind, the door flew open. A girl about her age with caramel coloured skin and warm eyes greeted her. “Hi! Lily, right?”

“Er, yeah.” She nodded jerkily. “Um, Robin invited me…”

“Come in!” The girl waved her forward. “Mom’s in the kitchen. My name’s Maru, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you.” Lily stepped forward, allowing the girl to usher her through the shop and into the house. “You’re one of Robin’s kids?”

Maru nodded. “Yeah. My half-brother is downstairs, probably still working.”

“Oh, okay…”

She followed Maru through the house and into a warmly-lit kitchen, permeated by the pungent smell of some kind of tomato sauce. Robin’s eyes lit up immediately at the sight of her. “Lily! Welcome!”

“Thank you for having me.” She fidgeted.

“Maru, will you go and get your father and brother for me please? Dinner’s just about ready.”

“Okay.”

“Is there something I can help with?” Lily asked, manners kicking in as Maru departed. Her father hadn’t raised her to be idle, even as a guest in someone else’s house.

“Oh, no, honey. You just take a seat.” Robin picked up a saucepan and dumped a load of pasta into a colander to drain the water. “We’re only having spaghetti tonight. Is that okay?”

It wasn’t her favourite, but she wasn’t about to complain as she took a seat at the bedecked table. “Yeah, that’s fine. Thank you again for inviting me.”

Within minutes, Maru returned with a dark-skinned man who could only be her father. She shook Demetrius’s hand as he introduced herself, and then was alerted to the presence of a fourth member of the family entering the room. Her face it up in recognition. “Oh! You’re Sebastian!”

The look he gave her made her want to die on the spot. Aware of everyone’s eyes on her, she began to ramble. “Um, I saw you at the store earlier. Your friends introduced themselves after you left and um, mentioned you?” She winced at how lame she sounded.

He huffed, rolling his eyes. “They _would_.” His voice wasn’t as deep as she expected from someone with such a scowl on his face; it was quiet, but a pleasant baritone that belied his expression. Stormy grey eyes assessed her for a moment before they slid away and turned to his mother. “Mom, I told you, I have a lot of work to do.”

Robin pointed her ladle at him. “You can take a break for half an hour for dinner with our guest.” She said sternly. “Half an hour, Sebastian. That’s all I ask.”

Before Lily could open her mouth to insist that she didn’t mind if he was busy, he dropped into the chair opposite her with a weary “ _Fine_. Half an hour.”

* * *

**_[20:46]SammyBoi:_ ** _so howd it go_

**_[20:46]Sebastian:_ ** _About as well as you could expect._

**_[20:46]Sebastian:_ ** _Also, I’m working._

**_[20:46]SammyBoi:_ ** _details man! abby tell him_

**_[20:46]Abbygail:_ ** _i’m getting the deets off her now_

**_[20:47]Abbygail:_ ** _sounds rough_

**_[20:47]Sebastian:_ ** _It was. Can we not talk about this?_

**_[20:47]SammiBoi:_ ** _wat. wen did u get her contact abby?_

**_[20:47]Abbygail:_ ** _after you left for work_

**_[20:47]Abbygail:_ ** _hold on i’ll add her_

**_[20:47]Sebastian:_ ** _No, Abby._

**CallaLily was added to the chat by Abbygail**

**_[20:49]Abbygail:_ ** _hey kiddo. welcome to the madhouse_

**_[20:49]CallaLily:_ ** _Oh… hi, guys._

Sebastian leaned back in his chair with a groan. Dinner had been bad; his asshole of a stepfather had spent the entire meal raving about how _fucking perfect_ Maru was and practically ignored Sebastian’s existence. Which was fine, until the new girl had tried to prod him into talking about himself. As always, it had ended with Demetrius’s unwanted criticism and Sebastian losing his temper. He was embarrassed to recall it, and he knew Robin was absolutely mortified. He had stormed outside for a cigarette before returning to work to escape the awkwardness; by the time he had returned indoors, she had gone.

**_[20:49]CallaLily:_ ** _Hey, Sebastian, are you okay? You seemed pretty mad earlier._

**_[20:49]Sebastian:_ ** _I’m fine. Sorry you had to see that._

**_[20:49]SammyBoi:_ ** _wat happened_

**_[20:50]Sebastian:_ ** _Demetrius happened. What else is new? Don’t worry about it Lily, that sort of thing is normal around here._

**_[20:50]CallaLily:_ ** _If you say so. :/_

**_[20:50]Abbygail:_ ** _it really is, lils. they fight all the time_

**_[20:51]Sebastian:_ ** _Look, guys, I really have to go. I’ll talk to you later._

Sebastian minimised the window, determined to get some work done. He used headphones to drown out the incessant notifications from the messaging app, shoved his cell phone under his pillow to muffle the vibrations, turned off the notifications on his PC, and pretended the new girl didn’t exist as he got to work. _Anything_ to forget the unmitigated disaster that had unfolded in his mother’s house mere hours earlier.

It had started out pleasantly enough, even if the girl had discomfort rolling off her in waves. His mother quizzed her; how old was she? Did she have any family? What had she done before moving to Pelican Town? Lily had answered her questions politely; she was only just twenty one, she had her father and his wife, an older sister, and pair of younger half-sisters, and she had worked for Joja Corp for a few years before moving. All fairly standard stuff. Then she’d made the mistake of asking Demetrius what he did for a living, and things had snowballed. He’d talked about his experiments, not noticing the polite smile on their guest’s face or the glazed look in her eyes before he’d started raving about scientific principles and how Maru was helping him document the ecosystem of the valley in between shifts at the doctor’s clinic.

Sebastian had been content to eat in silence, running the module he was working on through his head as the conversation washed over him. It wasn’t until he heard his name mentioned that he’d snapped back to reality.

“All three of them are so much smarter than me.” Robin had laughed. “I couldn’t even begin to understand their jobs.”

“Oh?” Lily had turned to him, twirling her fork to catch the last few pieces of pasta on her plate. “What do you do, Sebastian?”

He’d opened his mouth to tell her, but Demetrius had snorted derisively. “He doesn’t _have_ a job.”

“Yes I do.” He’d countered hotly, glaring at his stepfather.

“What kind of a job lets you sleep until after noon?” Demetrius had protested. “You do odd jobs, but—”

“The kind that lets me set my own schedule.” Sebastian had growled. “Have I ever missed rent?”

“Boys—” Robin had tried to intervene, but they’d bulldozed over her.

“Making ends meet is not the same as having stability, Sebastian.” Demetrius had lectured him for the thousandth time. “One day you’ll be responsible for supporting a family, and—”

“Bullshit!” Sebastian snapped, rising to his feet and preparing to leave the room. He’d lost his appetite. “I pull in enough to support myself. I don’t need your fucking life advice!”

“ _Sebastian_!”

He’d snapped his eyes to his unhappy mother, who was frowning between himself and her husband. Next to her was the new girl, peering at him with an expression akin to that of a startled deer. He’d completely forgotten she was there for a moment.

Shame coiled deep in his belly for losing his temper in front of a stranger and knew he had to get out of that room. _Now_. He didn’t even stop when he heard his mother call after him until he was out the front door and down by the lake, lighting a cigarette and exhaling a cloud of smoke into the cool air. By the time he’d returned indoors to a lecture from his mother about embarrassing her in front of guests, Lily had been gone.

It was like Demetrius didn’t even realise he was being a fucking hypocrite. Everyone in the damn valley knew that it was Robin’s work that supported the family, while he received sporadic cheques after turning in the results of a survey, or completing an experiment. Not that Sebastian ever expected any potential future partner—which he thought was _highly_ unlikely—to support him. He was fiercely independent. He paid his bills and stuck to himself, had done since he was eighteen. But it was like seven years of independence meant nothing, all because the room he happened to rent was in his mother’s house. Never mind that Saint Fucking Maru did exactly the same as him and never had a word said against her.

It was nearly six in the morning when he decided he’d worked enough for the night. Stretching and cracking his back to loosen it from being hunched over all night, he fished out his phone and scrolled through his messages. It looked like the conversation hadn’t continued long after he’d shut it out. Lily had left the chat after a few minutes, and Abby and Sam had said goodnight at around midnight. What surprised him, though, was the message request.

**_CallaLily would like to send you a direct message. Accept?_ **

Against his better judgement, he accepted the request. It’d been a long time since he’d accepted anyone but Sam or Abigail. With trepidation, he opened the fresh message history, noting that she’d sent it about eight hours before.

**_[22:16]CallaLily:_ ** _Hey, I just wanted to say sorry again if I caused any problems for you at dinner._

Letting out a sigh of relief, he responded.

**_[05:57]Sebastian:_ ** _You didn’t. It’s a weekly ritual at this point. Don’t worry about it._

To his shock, she responded within seconds.

**_[05:57]CallaLily:_ ** _Glad to hear it. Well, not that you fight often, but I’m glad I wasn’t making more problems for you. Also, you’re up early!_

His fingers hesitated on the keyboard of his screen for a moment before he found himself responding tiredly while he changed for bed. It had always been easier to talk to people when he was on the verge of passing out.

**_[05:58]Sebastian:_ ** _Late, actually. I just wrapped up._

**_[05:58]CallaLily:_ ** _Oh, gross. I can barely make it to midnight anymore. How do you survive?_

**_[05:58]Sebastian:_ ** _Caffeine and spite._

**_[05:58]CallaLily:_ ** _A winning combination if there ever was one._

He snorted in amusement and was trying to figure out how to respond when she followed up with;

**_[06:03]CallaLily:_** _Well, I have to get to work. The farm won’t sort itself out. Sleep well!_

**_[06:03]Sebastian:_ ** _Thanks. Good luck. I’ve been in those fields._

**_[06:03]CallaLily:_ ** _Pray for me._

**_[06:03]Sebastian:_ ** _Never was the praying type._

**_[06:04]CallaLily:_ ** _Oh well, I’ll just have to suffer through then. Goodnight!_

**_[06:04]Sebastian:_ ** _Night._

He locked his phone and dropped it on his nightstand without bothering to plug it in to charge. His last coherent thought before sleep claimed him was that she was weirdly more outgoing in their brief text conversation than she had been at dinner last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading. If you could, let me know what you thought?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily hangs out with Abigail, who puts her foot in it.

After wishing Sebastian goodnight over text, Lily dressed in her most rugged pair of overalls and gathered her tools for the day. Watering her newly planted seeds was first on the agenda, and then she was determined to find the remains of her grandfather’s old orchard. With any luck, some of the trees would still be bearing fruit.

With axe and scythe in hand, and a basket over her arm, she set about cutting her way through the overgrowth toward the western border of the property. The farm, she had been told, had once been famous for its array of stone fruits; peaches and apricots had once been in abundance, with a small selection of other fruits scattered about, like plums and cherries. It was just moving into the time for the apricot harvest, and with little else to do to make an income, she had settled on that as her Plan A.

Luck was on her side; at about midmorning, she stumbled across what would have once been neat, orderly rows of fruit trees, overgrown with the years. The trees would have been nearing the end of their life, she was sure, but she could get at least one decent harvest out of them before she had to replace them.

Using the water bottle she had brought with her, she picked and washed off one of the fruits, peeling the skin off with her fingernails and gingerly tasting the flesh. It had a pleasantly tart flavour, she decided, and finished her impromptu snack before getting to work with the picking. It was back-breaking labour, but she relished in the familiarity. Humming to herself, she moved from tree to tree, selecting the best-looking fruit and placing them gently in her basket. She would come back in a few days after some more had been given the chance to ripen. All in all, it had been a good morning. By lunchtime, she was back at the farmhouse, washing her harvest in a tiny wooden basin on the steps.

“Ah, good afternoon, Lily. Hard at work already, I see!”

She looked up with a smile as Mayor Lewis approached. “Good afternoon. I found my grandfather’s old orchard!” She gestured to the rows of drying fruit beside her.

“I can see that. He always did grow the best fruit in the valley.” Lewis’ moustache quivered as he spoke. “Perhaps you might consider striking a deal with Pierre for your early days? You might not make quite as much money as selling them at market, but I’m sure he’d be happy to pay you upfront for these.”

She nodded. “He did suggest that when I met him yesterday. I think I’m going to stick to working with him for at least a few seasons.” She bit her lip. “Maybe next year I’ll be able to start shipping things out, but I’m not going to get a proper crop harvest until Fall at least, so a little income is better than none, right?”

“Indeed.” The older man nodded sagely. “I was just visiting Marnie’s Ranch to the south and thought I’d check in with you.” He changed topics. “I’m glad to hear you’ve been mixing with the townsfolk.”

She laughed nervously. “Oh, I only met a few people yesterday. The doctor, Pierre and his family, and Robin’s family, mostly.”

“Still, making one acquaintance is the first step in building a network in a town as small as this. The Saloon is usually a good place to meet people on a Friday night.” Lewis hummed. “I shall leave you to your work. Shall I send Pierre up to inspect the produce after closing? I’m headed there next.”

“Oh, uh, no thank you.” Lily pushed a tendril of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. “I’ll head into town in a little bit and stop in at the store. I wanted to go to the fishing shop on the beach?” She ended her statement like a question. “You could let him know to expect me, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all.” Lewis guffawed. “I’ll see you around town, Lily.”

“Have a good afternoon!” She called after him as he headed toward the gates that lead to the track to town. He waved over his shoulder as he disappeared from view.

* * *

A quick shower and a fresh set of clothes later, Lily grunted as she lifted the basket of apricots over her arm. She vaguely remembered the products in the produce bins at Pierre’s General Store; most were imported, out-of-season fruits that were probably commercially grown in a greenhouse somewhere. She hoped he’d be receptive to a partnership with her to bring local produce back to the tables of the community. The apricots would be a start. She’d seen some cherry trees in the distance that she wanted to inspect tomorrow, and there were a few of what looked like apple trees dotted here and there that she hoped would still bear fruit in the fall. It was going to be a hard six months, relying on the savings that she’d squirrelled away for her early days, and the meagre income she’d be able to earn from the remains of her grandfather’s once brilliant orchard.

The bell chimed as she entered the store, spotting the purple-haired young woman behind the till, looking bored. Her expression brightened in recognition. “Oh, Lily! Let me go and get my dad for you!”

“Thanks.” Lily hefted the basket onto the counter as Abigail disappeared into the back. A few moments later she returned, Pierre in tow.

Their negotiations were thankfully short. Pierre cut one of the fruits open to taste, giving the other half to his daughter. Satisfied that they were edible, he offered what she felt was a fair price considering the hours she’d spent picking and preparing them for sale, and handed over a cheque that she immediately requested he deposit in her bank account. Her business concluded, she left the store, blinking in the early-afternoon sunlight.

“Lily, wait up!”

She turned, halfway across the town square, to wait for Abigail. The older girl gave her a toothy grin. “Where are you headed?” She asked, bright and bubbly as she fell into step next to her.

“Down to the beach.” Lily gestured toward the south. “I got a note this morning from the guy who owns the fishing store.”

“Oh, Willy.” Abigail scrunched her nose up. “He’s okay I guess. Mostly keeps to himself.”

Lily smiled. “I’m only stopping in to be polite. I don’t really like fishing. My dad tried to teach me but I just got bored too easily.”

“Ugh, me too!” Abigail whined. “Hey, wanna hang out after? There’s a really pretty lake up in the mountains near Seb’s place. I go there to play the flute sometimes, and I’m sure you could find some wild herbs and stuff to sell!”

“Sure.” Lily was sure Abigail was only inviting her because she was new and therefore interesting, but she wasn’t about to pass up the chance to potentially make a friend. “I haven’t really gone anywhere but your dad’s store and Robin’s place yet.” She said shyly, picking at her nails as they walked. “It’d be nice to see the valley. My dad used to tell me how beautiful it was.”

Abigail snorted. “It’s okay I guess. You get bored after like twenty years of living here. Trust me.”

Lily grinned. “You’re the expert, I guess.”

“Damn straight!” Abigail flipped her hair over her shoulder in an exaggerated manner, grinning. “Hey, after we see Willy, let’s stop by the Saloon and get some takeout. We can have a picnic up by the lake. My treat!”

* * *

The lake really was beautiful. It was larger than Lily expected, the distant shore just visible through the reeds. There were a few small islands in the middle connected by rickety wooden bridges that she was worried for a moment that Abigail would lead her towards, but they skirted the tree line on the western bank for a few minutes before they reached their intended destination.

However, it was occupied.

“Ew, what are you doing out in the sunlight?” Abigail teased the tall, dark-haired man smoking just beyond the trees. Lily didn’t recognise him until he turned around. “I thought you were allergic or something.”

Sebastian released a cloud of smoke into the air. “Fuck you, too, Abby.” His eyes slid from one girl to the other. “Hey.” He greeted her, bringing the cigarette back to his lips.

“Hi.” She smiled nervously, replaying the incident the night before in her mind. He’d gone from so silent he may as well not have been there to shouting in a manner of moments. She didn’t exactly blame him for what happened; his stepfather hadn’t exactly been gentle with his criticism, and it was obviously an old, tender subject between them. That, and she knew mixed-family dynamics could be tense—but it had still been startling. However, their conversation that morning had seemed almost friendly. She honestly didn’t know what to think.

“Come sit.” Abigail grabbed Lily’s hand and dragged her closer, parking her rear on a fallen log near where her friend was standing. “We got fries and chicken pepper poppers from the Saloon. Want some?” She asked him. “We can probably make it stretch three ways.”

“I’m good.” Sebastian shook his head, eyes far away over the waters of the lake. He seemed content to ignore them, so Lily gingerly took a seat next to Abigail and set her basket on the ground, accepting her portion of the hot, greasy food.

“Oh, Yoba.” She sighed after her first popper. “You weren’t kidding, Gus is magic.”

“Right?” Abigail snickered. “We don’t have any of the big commercial food chains here, but Gus is an awesome cook so it doesn’t really matter.” Then she scowled. “Ew, Seb. Do you _have_ to smoke so close to us while we’re eating?”

“I was here first.” He pointed out mildly, though he did shift to be downwind of them. The faint smell of the smoke lessened, then disappeared.

“I don’t know why you keep sucking on those cancer sticks.” She complained. “You know they’re—”

“—gonna kill me one day.” He drawled, clearly not paying attention. He took a long, deliberate drag, staring his friend in the eyes as he did so.

“And gross!” Abigail rounded on Lily. “Right? Tell him they’re gross! Me and Sam tell him all the time but he ignores us cause we hang out with him anyway.”

Lily, who was halfway through her third popper, jumped at being dragged into the argument. It was clearly a playful spat, but still. She barely knew these people, and they were staring at her. Abigail looked expectant, Sebastian looking… perturbed? “I, um… it doesn’t really bother me. I’m used to it.” She shrugged helplessly. “My dad smoked the whole time I was growing up.”

Abigail let out a groan of mock-despair. “Oh great, another enabler.”

Lily looked back down at her food, swallowing the lump that appeared in her throat. Suddenly, she wasn’t so hungry. “I wouldn’t say that.” She said quietly, just audible over the birdsong that suddenly seemed deafening. She shoved a fry in her mouth just to give her something to do, and tasted nothing. “It’ll kill him pretty soon.”

There was silence for a moment before Abigail swore. “Shit, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have brought it up if I knew.”

Lily forced a smile. Sebastian was watching her through the thin tendril of smoke that rose from the cigarette in his hand. Abigail’s face had lost its cheer and was looking at her with concern. “It’s fine. You guys didn’t know.” She said, falsely chipper. “Anyway, I’m not about to tell a stranger how to live his life.” She wiped her hand on a napkin and set the plastic container of food aside on the log, barely touched. She stood, brushing any stray bark off her rear. “I gotta go. Thanks for lunch, Abigail. I’ll see you around?”

“Uh, sure?”

“Great.” She swooped down and picked up her basket. “See you guys later.”

As she made her way back to where she remembered the trail that lead to the carpenter’s shop, and then back to the farm, to be, she heard Sebastian snort behind her. “Nice one.”

“I didn’t know!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby visits the farm and extends and invitation.

**_[10:49]Abbygail:_ ** _hey lily? i’m really sorry about yesterday!_

**_[11:31]Abbygail:_ ** _are you okay?_

**Sebastian was added to the conversation by Abbygail**

**_[12:11]Abbygail:_ ** _seb’s sorry too. aren’t you?_

**Sebastian has left the conversation**

**_[12:14]Abbygail:_ ** _please just let me know if you’re okay. i feel really bad_

**_[13:25]CallaLily:_ ** _I’m fine Abigail. Really. I’ve been working outside all morning is all. Lots of grass and weeds to get rid of._

Abby frowned down at her phone, slumped over in Sam’s desk chair. “She finally got back to me.”

“I told you to leave her alone.” Sebastian muttered from his place behind the synthesiser. He was mindlessly playing a little tune that Abby thought was far too pretty for her mood.

She rolled her eyes. “Not everyone wants to be left alone when they’re hurting, unlike _some_.”

“Who wants to be comforted by a complete stranger?” He countered. “Especially one that just _dragged up_ the pain?”

“Guys, come on.” Sam whined from his place on the bed. “Can we just forget the new girl for a minute? We gotta come up with a band name!”

“The band was your idea. You name it.”

Abby sighed and looked back down at her phone. Lily had seemed really cool yesterday. She loved her boys, but she sometimes felt a little left out. They were best friends after all, and she sometimes got the impression that she was third-wheeling. Maybe she’d tried a little too hard to include Lily in the conversation with Sebastian, since she knew he could be nervous around new people, and also that he hadn’t made the best of impressions. But she hadn’t meant to upset the girl. Abby knew she could be a bit overbearing sometimes when she was trying to make a good impression, but Lily had seemed to be handling it well until the topic of smoking had come up.

**_[13:25]Abbygail:_ ** _i really am sorry!_

**_[13:26]CallaLily:_ ** _It’s fine, Abigail. You didn’t know. Hey, can you ask your dad to come to the farm when he has a spare minute? I have some cherries for him to try. Kinda went wild and picked more than I could carry._

**_[13:26]Abbygail:_ ** _i’ll ask him when i get home. he takes wednesdays off so it wont be til tomorrow. that cool?_

**_[13:27]CallaLily:_ ** _That’s fine. Thanks a bunch. I’m going to take a shower and then a nap. Ttyl_

She sighed. “At least I didn’t destroy my dad’s new business partnership.” She mumbled. “Considering how quick that fruit sold last night he’d kill me if she stopped selling to him already.”

“Yeah, Mom bought some of those.” Sam grinned. “She made a pie with them. It was pretty good.”

“Yeah? You might wanna tell her that we might be getting cherries in soon. She just asked me to talk to Dad for her.”

“Why do you care so much anyway?” Sebastian sounded bored.

“Because I want to be her friend!” Abby sighed. “Honestly, Seb, sometimes I think you don’t know how people even work.”

He shrugged. “Are we finished with practice?” He asked instead of responding. “I’m going out for a smoke.”

“Hang on, I’ll come with!” Sam leapt up and grabbed his phone. Abby sighed and followed them out of the room.

* * *

Lily opened the door the next afternoon to Pierre and Abby standing on her porch. Smiling politely, she ushered them inside and toward her kitchen table—the only place suitable for her to entertain guests. Abby, for her part, looked around with curiosity. She had been conscripted by her father to help transport whatever Lily had to sell; it was the perfect cover, she thought, not noticing how surprised her father was that she’d agreed so easily.

“Sorry, I’m a mess.” Lily looked harried, still in her dirty work clothes and face streaked with dried mud. The elastic in her ponytail had slipped down, leaving small hairs to fall out and frame her face. “I only just got finished clearing out some debris just past the pond.”

“Which one?” Abby asked, interested.

“There’s more than one?”

Abby pointed to the window that overlooked the small plot of land that Lily was in the midst of cultivating. “There’s a small one near the eastern fence. The bigger one is down near the southern track to Marnie’s ranch.”

“Er, then the small one.” Lily sighed, bending over in front of a beat up old refrigerator. “Every time I think I’m starting to get a handle on this place, I swear…”

“How do you know where the ponds are?” Pierre asked suspiciously. “Have you been trespassing again, Abigail?”

Abby flushed indignantly. “The land was unoccupied!” She defended. “I was exploring.”

“I don’t mind.” Lily came to her rescue when Pierre opened his mouth again to chastise his daughter. “Yoba knows I wouldn’t have been able to do anything with the land until now. Anyway, here’s the fruit.” She hefted a large container of cherries onto the table, then another. The rickety old table groaned under the weight.

Abby could practically see her father counting how much gold he could make off them in his head. He popped open the lid of the top container and tasted one, humming in approval. “These are very good.”

She zoned out while they talked money. She usually tried to take an interest in the store; she knew it would be hers one day, and was even studying to manage it. But instead, she turned her attention to the house. It was a single-roomed cottage; Lily’s unmade bed was shoved up against the wall opposite the kitchen, with a small end table across from it with an old television on top. There was no couch, no décor. The electric light wasn’t even connected to a switch; it had a small chain hanging from it to turn it on and off. There was a door in the back that she assumed lead to some kind of bathroom. Beyond that, there were only a few pieces of eclectic furniture such as a mismatched set of drawers and a wardrobe, and a sparsely populated bookcase.

It was kind of sad.

“Are you okay, Abigail?”

Abby snapped back to reality at being addressed. Lily was peering at her warily, perhaps afraid that Abby was judging her based on her living conditions. She grinned brightly. “Fine, sorry. I zoned out. The house looks a lot better than the last time I was here.” That wasn’t a lie, exactly, but it wasn’t the highest of compliments either. It wasn’t hard to improve an utter disaster.

Lily smiled. “Thanks.”

“Well, we’re finished up.” Pierre was standing, waiting for her. “Take one of these and I’ll take the other.”

Abby did as she was told, hefting one of the large containers onto her hip. It was _heavy_. How had she managed to fill _two_ of the damn things?

“Thanks for coming all the way up here, sir.” Lily was saying, wringing her hands. “I know it’s out of the way, but I had no way to get them into town on my own.”

“It’s my pleasure, Miss Lily.” Pierre smiled. “If ever you have extra produce and no way to transport them, we’re happy to help.”

“I’ll bring these back in a few days.” Abby tapped the lid of her box with a grin as her father set off outside. Then, on an impulse, she added, “Hey, me and the guys hang out at the saloon on Friday nights; you should come along tomorrow.”

Lily hesitated. “I’m not sure I could afford it.” She hedged. “I’m living off savings at the moment.”

Abby’s heart sank. “Well, Sam usually buys the pizza.” She tried. “And I’m sure Gus could set you up with a tab. I know he doesn’t harass people who can’t afford to pay right away.”

Lily chewed her lip. If she had a free hand, Abby would have crossed her fingers. “I’ll think about it. The mayor said something about it too.”

Abby grinned. As her father called for her from outside, she sighed. “Okay, okay. I wont force it.” She winked. “But it’s a good time. Seb absolutely destroys Sam at pool every week, and Sam always ends up buying the last round as punishment. The guy will never learn.” She considered Lily’s smile to be a victory. “I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah.” Lily walked her to the door. “Walk safe with those, they’re heavy.”

“I’m surprised _you_ could carry them.” Abby laughed, descending the stairs. “You’re _tiny_!”

“Hey!”

Abby snickered all the way to the gate.

* * *

Lily scraped together what little money she physically had in her possession on Friday night, determined to make something of the evening. Two people now had mentioned the Saloon to her, and she had to admit she was a little curious. She’d only ever been to a handful of bars in the city with colleagues, and had never really enjoyed the atmosphere, but maybe in a small town it would be a little friendlier. She hadn’t entered when Abby had bought their lunch the other day, and wondered what it was like inside.

She found the place easily enough. The walk from the farm to town was short, but the darkness was almost absolute; there were no lights along the path. She could see the faint glow of the streetlamps from town from her gate, so she hurried toward them as the air cooled around her.

The door swung open easily with a small shove, and the warmth of the bar beckoned her. Stepping inside, she cast her eyes around for a familiar face. She saw Robin and Demetrius dancing over by the jukebox and decided to give them a wide berth. Willy was at a table near the door, and tipped his hat at her as she nodded and smiled in greeting. There were others her own age scattered around the tables, but she couldn’t spot Abigail anywhere.

The bartender spotted her. “Ah, you must be this Miss Lily I’ve been hearing so much about!”

Lily jumped at being addressed. A few curious eyes turned to her. “Ah, yes Sir.”

He beckoned her closer. “No one calls me ‘Sir’ around here.” He chuckled. “I’m Gus. I own this place.”

Lily shook his proffered hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

He clapped his hands together when he released his grip. “And you. Now, what’ll you have? First drink’s on the house.”

She was scanning the menu behind him when a large blonde lady shouted for him from the other end of the bar. “One moment.” Gus said apologetically and shuffled off, leaving her to peruse the drink selection. She decided to move out of the way of the other patrons moving around and sidled down towards the other end of the bar. She smiled nervously at the dishevelled man in an unkempt Joja uniform lurking there, but otherwise kept her tongue. He didn’t look very inviting. Shifting a little from foot to foot, she wondered if maybe she shouldn’t have come. She didn’t see Abigail or Sebastian, or the other guy—Sam?—anywhere.

“What the fuck do you want?” The man next to her grunted, making her jump.

“O-oh!” She stammered. “Nothing. I’m just waiting for Gus.”

He sneered at her. “Go wait somewhere else. This is my spot.” The strong smell of alcohol on his breath made her stomach turn.

“Uh…”

“Lily!” Abigail appeared as if from nowhere, slipping her arm around Lily’s. “There you are!”

“Hi, Abigail.” She exhaled in relief. “I didn’t think you were here.”

Abigail pulled her away from the drunk. She followed willingly. “Sorry! I was running a little late. Let’s get you a drink and we’ll go find the guys.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily hangs out with Abby, Sam, and Sebastian at the Saloon.

Sebastian was winning. Again.

He could see the gears turning in Sam’s head as he tried to figure out his next move. It was the standard Friday night tradition; they could hear the chatter from the main bar in the next room, along with the faint notes of whatever oldies song someone was playing on the jukebox. Abby wasn’t there yet, else she and Sam would be adding to the noise with talk of their own.

Sam bent over to take his shot, missing wildly. Sebastian had once tried to teach him to play properly, but Sam’s natural impatience had led to both of them getting frustrated and letting the matter drop. The consequence was that Sam, ever determined to beat his best friend at his own game, lost every single game that they had ever played. It had been just over three years since they’d started playing at the Saloon, and Sebastian still hadn’t tired of whooping Sam’s ass every week. He knew exactly what his friend was doing wrong, but since Sam refused to be coached, he said nothing.

“Abby’s late.” Sam commented as Sebastian lined up his next shot. It was a cheap distraction tactic that Sebastian saw right through.

“Mhm.” He agreed distractedly, striking the cue ball and sinking one of the solids. “Your turn.”

“Think she’s coming?” Sam hurried through his shot and missed again.

“She said she was.” He lined up the next shot. He was just about to take it when the door to the games room opened and Abby entered. Lily was in tow, already nursing a beer and smiling at them.

“Hi, Sebastian. Hi, Sam.”

“Hey.” He didn’t even look up as he greeted her, too focused on his shot.

“Hey, Lily! I didn’t know you came to the Saloon.”

Sebastian straightened after sinking two more balls. Lily was smiling at Sam. “It’s my first time. Mayor Lewis suggested it might be a good place to meet people on a Friday night, then Abigail invited me yesterday.”

“You didn’t look like you were meeting people when I got here.” Abby plopped down on the couch, patting the spot next to her for the new arrival. Lily sat.

“I had a run-in with that guy at the bar. I think he was drunk. I was just kinda thinking of going home before you showed up.”

“Probably Shane.” Sebastian grumbled, uncomfortable with the new addition. “He’s always an ass.”

“Yeah, just ignore him!” Sam said with a grin as he bent over the table, missing his shot entirely. “We’re stoked you came!”

The evening was filled with light chatter that Sebastian only minimally contributed to, but no one seemed to pay him much mind. Sam and Abby both knew he was tense around strangers and didn’t push him _too_ hard, and Lily gave no indication that she was at all perturbed by his standoffishness. She smiled when she spoke to him, as if their last two meetings had never even happened.

“So how’s the whole farm thing going?” Sam asked after he had handily lost a few rounds later, flopping down onto the other couch. Abby took his place at the pool table. She was better than Sam, but still not as good as Sebastian; she, at least, had let him teach her properly.

“Oh, not bad. It’s almost like home.” Lily took a sip of her beer.

“Wait,” Abby straightened from where she was leaning over the pool table. “I thought you were from Zuzu City?”

Lily chewed her lip. “I grew up on a farm on the Sunfield Plateau.” She said. “We had to sell and move to the city when I was fifteen, when Dad started getting sick.”

“Ah, that sucks.” Sam shook his head. “Mom had to sell our apartment in the city when Dad went overseas a few years back. The place we’re living now used to be my grandparents’. Mom kept it as a holiday house.”

Lily winced. “Sorry to hear that. What do your parents do? I’ve met Abigail and Sebastian’s.”

Sam shrugged. “Mom doesn’t work. Dad’s military salary pays the bills, so she spends most of her time looking after my little brother. He’s a lot younger than us. Born here.”

“Oh, so he’s deployed?”

Sebastian tried to ignore the conversation as he concentrated on the game. He could feel the beginnings of a headache in the back of his mind; he wished Abby had warned him before inviting the new girl to hang out. There were very few people in town that he was comfortable hanging out with, and his two meetings with Lily had been _anything_ but comfortable. At least, he reflected bitterly, there was no trace of the wariness she’d had a few days ago at the lake. She probably thought he was rude and unfriendly, he decided, and ran a hand through his hair after taking a shot and missing. Abby grinned savagely at his lapse until she looked up.

If the look on her face was any indication, he probably looked as frazzled as he felt. Concern softened her features and she inclined her head toward the door, making a gesture with her fingers against her mouth as if to say ‘ _cigarette?_ ’ He nodded jerkily.

“Okay, break time.” Abby announced, making everyone jump. “Sam, why don’t you go order that pizza?”

“I’m gonna… go have a smoke.” Sebastian mumbled, brushing his shoulder against Abby in a gesture of thanks on his way out the door. He gave his mother a wave from her seat on the other side of the bar with Demetrius, and stepped into the night air. The coolness filled his lungs as he took a deep breath and moved around the side of the building, fishing in his hoodie pocket and extracting a smoke. His hand was slightly shaking as he raised the lighter to light it. Releasing a cloud of smoke into the night sky, he allowed himself to sag against the cold brick wall behind him and stuffed the lighter back in his pocket.

It wasn’t like he hated the girl or anything, but… well, there was a reason he only really had two friends. Abby he’d known for as long as he could remember; a few years younger than him, they’d grown up in the valley together. Their mothers were friends, though they themselves hadn’t really become friends until she’d started high school two years after he had. Sam had moved into town a few years later, and practically annoyed Sebastian until he grew used to him.

He had fondness for his friends, yes, but he also often wondered why they bothered with him. It was probably that they were the only three people in the entire valley that held even remotely similar interests.

He wasn’t really in the market for any new friends. And even if he was, he was pretty sure he’d done enough damage that Lily probably had an extremely negative impression of him. The thought that Abby seemed set on befriending her, and seemed likely to want to invite her along with them, made his stomach twist uncomfortably. He just wasn’t _built_ for people. The last three years had proven that.

His thoughts circled in the same vein for the rest of his cigarette and halfway through the second. He wasn’t sure how long he was out there when he heard a soft “Oh, there you are.”

He tensed at the familiar-yet-not voice. Cracking his eyes open, he spied Lily on the sidewalk, purse slung over her shoulder. His stomach twisted unpleasantly again. “Yeah?”

She bit her lip, looking back toward the door. “Um, Abigail and Sam are still waiting for you.” She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I’m uh, heading home. Early start tomorrow.”

“Okay.” He said stupidly, wondering why she was still there. They lingered awkwardly for a moment.

“They seem really great.” She gave a small smile. “I didn’t really expect to make any friends this quickly, but…”

He shrugged.

“Sorry, I’m probably bothering you.” She blabbered.

“You’re fine.” He lied. She _was_ bothering him, but it wasn’t her fault.

“I’m glad I moved here.” She smiled at him. “Most people seem really nice.”

Most people but him, he thought with an inward grimace. He wondered why she was still talking to him. “Of all the places you could have moved, you chose Pelican Town?” He heard himself saying, wishing he could just shove his fist through his own face at how antagonistic it sounded.

She looked taken aback. “Well, I didn’t exactly _choose_ it.” She said softly, confidence apparently gone. “The property was left to me by my grandfather.”

“Right. Cool.”

They milled about for a few more moments before she cleared her throat. “Well, I’d better head off. Good night, Sebastian.”

“See you.”

He watched her disappear into the dark of the town square before putting out his cigarette and sliding down the wall, drawing his hood up over his head and pressing his hands into his face. His ass hit the cold ground but he didn’t care as he drew his knees up, resting his elbows on them. Why couldn’t he just be a normal fucking human? No one else seemed to have problems talking to the new girl. She was perfectly nice. But he was so fucked up that he couldn’t even manage basic human fucking interaction. He dreaded word getting back to Abby and Sam that he’d been an unfriendly prick to her just now.

“Sebastian?”

The soft call of his name caused him to look up. His mother was kneeling beside him, worry etched across her face. Demetrius was standing behind her, looking bored. He hadn’t even heard them approach. “Are you okay?”

He took a deep breath. “I’m fine.” He lied. If the way her mouth tightened was any indication, she didn’t buy it. It wasn’t the first episode he’d ever had, but it was the first in a while. He forced his breath to slow. When had he begun hyperventilating? “Just making a fucking idiot out of myself, but what else is new?” He mumbled, low enough for Demetrius not to catch it. Despite his trembling—when had that happened?—he forced himself to stand. “I’m… going home.” He fished his phone out of his pocket and sent an apology to Abby and Sam.

“Walk with us.” Robin insisted. Despite the fact that Demetrius was quite possibly the _last_ person he wanted to be around, he nodded woodenly. He allowed Robin to snake her arm through his own and steer him into the darkness of town toward the mountains.

What a fucking loser he was, he thought. Twenty five years old and he still needed his fucking mother to rescue him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Panic attacks are no fun y'all. I tried to capture how it felt the last time I had one; I'm not too sure how well it came across though.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily remains convinced that Sebastian hates her. Abby tries to convince her otherwise.

Lily didn’t leave the farm for several days. There was so much work to be done, she told Abby, who texted her several times a day. She’d even taken to sending pictures of her half-finished work to prove that she wasn’t just avoiding hanging out again.

She had mostly enjoyed her time on Friday night. Abby and Sam had been warm and inviting, and she’d felt welcomed as they chatted. But she got the distinct impression that Sebastian hadn’t wanted her there. He’d been stiff and distant all night, and try as she might to ignore it, it had bothered her. She wasn’t adverse to the idea of hanging out with Abby or Sam again, but perhaps she should take the hint and leave Sebastian alone.

It upset her. She wasn’t sure exactly what she’d done to earn his ire. At first she thought perhaps he’d been embarrassed about the incident at his mother’s house. He’d been friendly enough over text, and he’d seemed quiet but not upset at her presence at the lake. But Friday night… well, she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t spent more than her fair share of time wondering what she’d done wrong.

“Dude, I keep telling you, it’s not your fault.” Abby said on Tuesday morning, leaning against the fence while Lily worked. She had a textbook spread across her lap and her phone in her hand, frowning as she tried to make sense of her coursework. Normally she’d be doing it at home, but with her mother’s aerobics class in the main living area of their house, the noise was always too much to concentrate. “Seb’s just like that with new people. He’ll get over it eventually. He was an ass to Sam when they met, too.”

“Really?” Lily’s eyebrows rose. “I find that hard to believe.”

Abby rolled her eyes. “Trust me. Our mothers have been friends since before I was born. I’ve known the guy my whole life. He’s like the big brother I never had.”

Lily rubbed her arm self-consciously. “I just get the feeling he doesn’t like me.”

“Did he say something?” Abby looked at her. “If he did I’ll kick his ass. He’ll forgive me later.”

Lily laughed. “No.” She shook her head. “It was more… the way he spoke. Like he wanted me to leave.”

Abby hummed thoughtfully. She’d been up to see Sebastian on Saturday, but his mother had turned her away. “He isn’t feeling very well.” Robin had said. “He had a bad night last night.”

That was code for an anxiety attack. It was something that Abby and Sam usually picked up on rather quickly; she felt guilty that her interest in the new girl had blinded her to his discomfort. It was only when he’d missed his shot at the pool table that she’d realised something was wrong. She gave him the escape that he desperately needed, and entertained Lily so that she wouldn’t notice until it was time for the farmer to leave. She just hadn’t counted on the two of them running into each other outside. But it had been so long since the last one, Abby had honestly thought it would be fine.

“I wouldn’t read too much into it.” Abby said slowly. She wasn’t going to spill his secrets. It wasn’t anyone else’s business. “He can sometimes be a bit of an ass, but he’s actually a really great friend when you get to know him. He’s just… not good at people-ing.”

“If you say so.” Lily remained unconvinced, frowning at the weeds she was trying to pull out of the ground. She grunted as she gave a particularly tenacious one a hard yank. “I think I’ll just give him space, though.”

“But then we can’t hang out on Fridays!” Abby protested. “Look, I’ll talk to him. I’m sure it’s not gonna be a problem again. I just didn’t give him any warning is all.”

“Abigail.” Lily gave her a level look. “Please. Don’t bother him about it. If he doesn’t want me around then I don’t want to bother him. Sometimes people just aren’t meant to get along.”

Abby sighed. “Okay, fine, but you have to call me ‘Abby’.” She insisted, then looked down as her phone chimed with a notification. “Oh, Sam’s messaging me.”

* * *

Sebastian was pulled into wakefulness by the vibration of his cellphone on the nightstand. While the small chimes that accompanied the instant messages were easy enough to sleep through, the harsh sound of the vibration on wood was less so. He pulled his pillow over his head in an attempt to drown out the sound. It didn’t work, the vibrations going off rapid-fire and grating on his nerves.

Finally, he snatched the phone up and unlocked it, checking the time. He groaned and opened the messaging app to a handful of texts from his friends.

**_[11:14]SammyBoi:_ ** _waddup nerds_

**_[11:14]Abbygail:_ ** _hanging at lily’s. the mom squad is so loud i couldn’t think at home_

**_[11:15]SammyBoi:_ ** _and u didnt even come here first. u dun love me_

**_[11:15]Abbygail:_ ** _you’re never up early enough you lazy fuck_

**_[11:15]Abbygail:_ ** _anyway lilys cuter than you. look._

There was a picture of Lily attached to the message, kneeling in the dirt and looking toward the camera with surprise. She had dirt on her nose. Her hair was a mess, falling out of the bun on the back of her head. She _was_ cute, Sebastian supposed, then scowled at himself. It was too early for his sleep-deprived brain. He needed coffee. And maybe a cigarette.

**_[11:16]SammyBoi:_ ** _ok ok i see ur point. wat u 2 up 2_

**_[11:16]Abbygail:_ ** _i’m currently trying to convince her that seb does not, in fact, hate her_

**_[11:16]SammyBoi:_ ** _any luck with that_

**_[11:17]Abbygail:_ ** _not really. idk what he said but she’s pretty convinced_

Sebastian sighed at the reminder of Friday night, throwing his arm over his face. He didn’t want to think about that night ever again. And yet, with how much his friends seemed to like her, he couldn’t seem to get away from it.

**_[11:18]Abbygail:_ ** _seb i see you reading these messages. say hi you ass_

**_[11:18]Sebastian:_ ** _No._

**_[11:18]SammyBoi:_ ** _HE LIVES_

**_[11:19]SammyBoi:_ ** _i thought u died on the weekend my dude_

**_[11:19]Sebastian:_ ** _The jury’s still out. I may yet._

**_[11:20]Abbygail:_ ** _stop being dramatic you fucker_

**_[11:20]Sebastian:_ ** _When I’m cold and dead. Which may be soon._

**_[11:21]SammyBoi:_ ** _if u die can i have ur games_

**_[11:21]Sebastian:_ ** _No, those go to Abby._

**_[11:21]Abbygail:_ ** _YES!_

**_[11:22]SammyBoi:_ ** _no fair_

**_[11:22]Sebastian:_ ** _I’ll be back. Shower and coffee._

He locked his phone and dragged himself out of bed. One of the advantages of living in the basement was that he had his own bathroom, he thought as he padded toward it. Without a window, it was dark, and he flicked the light switch on before stepping into the tiled room. The shower did wonders for his alertness, but little for his tiredness; only coffee would solve that particular problem.

There was no one around. His mother was in town at her aerobics class, Maru had her shift at the clinic, and Demetrius was who-the-fuck-cared where. Relishing in the solitude, Sebastian made his way into the kitchen. He started the coffee maker and debated breakfast, deciding against it. He’d never really been a big eater in the mornings.

Leaning against the counter, he checked his phone again, scrolling through emails and sighing in relief at the one from his latest client. He was, quite possibly, the most unreasonable man Sebastian had ever had the displeasure to work for. He had been half tempted to tell the man to take his contract and go fuck himself, but the pay was good, and the commission at the end would be even better. But he’d spent every spare waking minute of the past week trying to get the program _just right_ , only to be told something as mundane as the _font size_ was wrong, or buttons didn’t have the correct images attached. It made Sebastian want to pull his hair out in frustration. This time, he was actually happy with what Sebastian had given him. Sipping on his coffee, he responded to the email and allowed himself a moment of pride. It wasn’t even the most difficult project he’d tackled, but the client had certainly been challenging.

Opening the messaging app again, Abby and Sam were still shit talking each other.

**_[11:57]Sebastian:_ ** _The Client From Hell has officially been satisfied._

**_[11:57]SammyBoi:_ ** _congrats. so r u gonna get a big fat paycheck_

**_[11:58]Sebastian:_ ** _That was the whole point of putting up with his fuckery._

**_[11:58]Abbygail:_ ** _so does that mean we can hang out today???_

Sebastian hesitated. Wasn’t she with the new girl? He was _not_ ready for that again.

**_[11:59]Sebastian:_ ** _Not today. You two can come over tomorrow though if you want._

**_[11:59]Abbygail:_ ** _i see what you are doing, but i will allow it_

**_[12:00]Sebastian:_ ** _I have no idea what you’re talking about._

**_[12:00]Abbygail:_ ** _uh huh. okay lily is calling me to come in for lunch. bye bye_

**_[12:01]:SammyBoi:_ ** _yeh im gonna go find food 2_

Sebastian sighed, pocketing his phone. Picking up his coffee cup and draining what was left, he decided he’d go out for a cigarette, and then decide what he wanted to do for the rest of the day.

* * *

Lily walked Abby home, since she needed to visit the store anyway. The weather was pleasant, and they made light chatter about Abby’s classes as they headed toward town. Abby pushed the door to the store open and stepped inside, holding it open for Lily and then excused herself to retreat to the house. Lily perused the aisles, picking up small items of canned goods and boxed meals. She was on a very tight budget, and by the time she would be able to afford fresh produce, she’d be growing it herself.

“Oh, Lily, hello.”

She turned at the salutation, recognising Robin by the shock of her red hair. She smiled at the older woman as she approached. “Good afternoon, Robin.”

Robin reached up and plucked a packet from the top shelf. “How are you settling in? Getting along all right?”

Lily nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve managed to clear a pretty big portion of land now. I’m gonna pick up some extra seeds tonight and plant them tomorrow morning.”

Robin smiled. “That sounds nice. Have you made any friends yet? I saw you briefly at the saloon on Friday night.”

Lily’s smile faltered just the slightest bit. “Abby invited me to hang out.”

Robin surprised her by letting out a breath and cursing softly. She blinked at the older woman in confusion. Noticing the scrutiny, Robin shook her head with a regretful smile. “I was wondering why he was so out of sorts. He never did tell me.” She said.

Lily blinked. “Who?”

“Sebastian.” Robin scanned the aisle absently. At Lily’s growing confusion, she elaborated. “Ah, I suppose no one told you.” She frowned, opened her mouth, then seemed to think better of what she was going to say. “How did you get along with everyone?”

Lily looked down, picking at her nails. “Abby and Sam are really nice, but… I got the impression that Sebastian doesn’t like me very much.”

Robin surprised her by laughing. “If he didn’t like you, you’d know about it. You’ve seen him with my husband. I’m sorry about that, by the way.”

Lily’s smile was wan. “It’s okay.”

“Well, I should go get these paid for.” Robin cleared her throat. “I promise you, Lily, Sebastian doesn’t think badly of you. From what I could gather from what he said, he was rather embarrassed on Friday. He’s a little shy, but he’ll open up if you’re nice to him.”

“I’ll… keep that in mind.” Lily chewed on her lip. “I’ll see you later, Robin.”

“Have a good night, dear.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this far! I'd appreciate it if you took the time to comment.


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